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PeachPie

PeachPie

EC, IMU, LTAC
Member Member Nurse
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PeachPie specializes in EC, IMU, LTAC.

I love sacasm!

PeachPie's Latest Activity

  1. PeachPie

    Help i need with job in houston

    PeachPie replied to nashcookie's topic in Texas

    I had the same problem when I was a new grad, and my solution was to go for the smaller, less advertised hospitals such as Triumph, which is now Kindred, Reliant, Nexus, Solara, etc. Don't be afraid to reach out further into the suburbs or even rural. I have an old classmate who managed to break into ER by working out in the middle of nowhere. A long commute will stink, but hopefully it will be temporary. It's not as good as acute hospital experience, but it's a job and you will learn things. When interviewing, show interest in pertinent subjects like rehabilitation and long term antibiotic therapy, and do not tell them if you plan to use them as a stepping stone. Get certified with as many things as you can, and take advantage of what they have to offer. Good luck.
  2. PeachPie

    How many of you here wear ted/support hose to work?

    PeachPie replied to violet_violet's topic in Uniform/Gear

    I do I do! I wear pressure socks, plus some cushy low-cut socks over them for padding, plus my Z-Coil shoes! The combination is as unsexy as it gets, but I'm going to stave off varicose veins as long as I can!
  3. PeachPie
    I have a question about the etiquette of meeting higher-ups, asking recommendations from them, and how to offer a means of meeting and compensation for their time without it seeming like a bribe. This has to do with my current situation, but I know that there will be others within my work environment. I'd really like to hear from people inside and outside of academia, and therefore keep this within General Nursing. I'm in an online RN-to-BSN program, and only go in for exams. I'm applying for a scholarship that requires letters of recommendation from two instructors and the dean or director of the nursing program. I've met three of my instructors in person, and I think that I have built enough rapport with them that I could ask them for the letters. I have never met the dean, and don't know how to break the ice or ask for such a favor. My plan so far: I'm going to state my situation, and offer to treat them to lunch since we've only met briefly. When offering this, I will briefly state that it's not a bribe, simply a means of meeting, discussing things, and compensation for their time. Is this a good tactic, or are there better ways? I also have no idea how to approach the dean of the school.
  4. PeachPie
    cheapesttextbooks.com is a comprehensive search. They search both resellers and online stores. I go into the school store, note the titles, editions, authors, and ISBN (if possible, some cover the bar codes), then search on the website. It's saved me a bundle.
  5. PeachPie

    What is a step-down unit?

    PeachPie replied to fmiller007's topic in General Students

    I work Neuro ICU stepdown, which means that they're not acute enough to need the ICU, but still need staff with specialized neurological training.
  6. PeachPie

    im selfish? hmmm

    PeachPie replied to OhioCCRN's topic in Nursing

    You are incorrect and elitist. The only people who should be having kids are the ones who are dedicated enough to raise them. Those who won't shouldn't have kids. You're just like my dad. He and my mom had 6 kids. As the oldest, I ended up doing a lot of their work because 6 kids didn't work out like their dreams predicted. He's would also spout that "smart people"were obligated to have more kids to try to cancel out the virulent breeders. One day I retorted, "So Uncle Chuck should have had 10 kids?" Uncle Chuck is a Johns Hopkins Ph.D who pretty much ignores his parental duty, and his wife had to save up for years to divorce him because he wound't provide. I also told him about the time I house-sat for a local surgeon. He couldn't trust his 17-year old son to do it, and said son actually threw a pot party while I was there. Yeah, both of these smart people really needed to breed, left such a lasting legacy, and really improved the gene pool. Meanwhile, the famed neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson was born to an illiterate single mother who curtailed TV, made him study, and checked off his homework even though she couldn't read it. I once took care of a couple who had 8th grade educations, but all 6 of their children grew up to be professionals because they believed in pressing their kids to succeed. Should they have not bred?
  7. PeachPie
    Sitters can definitely be an asset, and you sound like you care about your job. Good for you. Ignore the haters. I will tell you about some of the negative experiences I have had with sitters though. I'm not sure what your job description is. Some sitters are staff CNAs who should be doing all the vitals, ADLs, bathing, etc. Others are only supposed to make sure that they don't fall. I admit, I have gotten frustrated when a sitting CNA didn't help out by taking care of that one patient, or if a non-CNA sitter refused to do anything. I was once assessing a patient and was going to be there for a few minutes, and asked the sitter to please get some water. She refused, stating that she was there as a sitter. She also talked on her cell phone most of the shift. True, she wasn't a CNA and was there to sit, but she still could have fetched things for the patient within the room. Basically, do what you can do to help out. Use the 1:1 time to help out the staff in any little way that helps, although you're already helping by preventing falls.
  8. PeachPie

    im selfish? hmmm

    PeachPie replied to OhioCCRN's topic in Nursing

    It's considered abnormal to not like kids, and women get judged more harshly. I agree with everyone else here, it would be selfish to have kids knowing that you don't like or want them. Seriously, I've seen so much horrific abuse of children, and even neglect or calling your kid a mistake is horrible. We non-parents are the selfish ones compared to them? I also think that it's part of an American society thing. Politicians and other self-image promoters often promote themselves as family men or women, and people let that affect their judgment when they should be judging the credentials. I consider it to be a form of "pimping" to show off the family in such a self-image promotion. I remember seeing a commercial for a carpal tunnel syndrome clinic in which the owner promoted his smiling family, complete with his young daughter saying, "I'm Daddy's widdle girl!"My boyfriend commented that they looked like deer in headlights. I later read in a local news article that his medical license had been revoked for testing positive for cocaine and domestic abuse of his fourth wife, along with a string of other dysfunctions. However, people keep falling for things like Palin's hockey mom image and probably go to the carpal tunnel clinic thinking that his persona must mean good service.
  9. PeachPie

    New grad nurses- what did you do to get hired?

    PeachPie replied to bornthisway's topic in First Year

    I went to the Shenandoah/Spring/Woodlands/Conroe area. There was only one nursing school in the area, which meant better chances.
  10. PeachPie

    New grad nurses- what did you do to get hired?

    PeachPie replied to bornthisway's topic in First Year

    In Houston, we have about 6 nursing schools in the area. This means a glut of new grads every semester, with hundreds of applicants competing for a few coveted jobs. I drove out of the Houston area into one of the many surrounding suburbs. The commutes were long, and I eventually moved closer to the jobs. After a year and a half of living in the boring suburbs, I applied to jobs within Houston and was able to move back into the city. Go to the places where there aren't a lot of new grads. Look for smaller, less advertised facilities such as long term acute care and rehab hospitals.
  11. PeachPie
    To the family of a very difficult patient with BPD: don't tell us that we're the problem and cause her to be rude and difficult. If it was a problem with just one or two people, it would be them. Since she has a problem with everybody that she sees, she is the common factor. You don't want to deal with her either. I know that you all live and work around here, and that the husband is retired, lives close, and can get around town just fine. I see how she snaps and barks at you all, and how it's just so darned convenient for us to have to put up with her and designate us as her scratching post. No, she is not strong willed or difficult because she's a retired nurse. Our hospital neurologists and psychiatrists have all concurred that she is paranoid, reacts inappropriately to things, and that you all either deny it or don't realize it. I don't envy that you have to put up with her more than we ever will, but don't direct it at us.
  12. PeachPie

    The case of the missing pens: A rant and an idea

    PeachPie replied to Florence NightinFAIL's topic in Nursing

    I put little stickers on my pens so I can distinguish mine from others, and rightfully claim them if someone else has one without my permission. I also keep a pack of cheapo Bic pens on hand for people to borrow, and use the good clicky comfort grip ones for myself.
  13. PeachPie
    You are denying pain meds to the same woman who gave birth to you? Oh, it just "kills" you to see her take a med that would make her stop crying and cringing in pain? There is a special hell for you. The difference between you and an interrogator is that at least an interrogator isn't in denial about the torture and pain they cause. I wouldn't wish your mother's pain on many people, but with you, I'd be willing to make an exception.
  14. PeachPie
    I've only been a nurse for 2 1/2 years, and all personal and professional references when job searching have been mentors, instructors, friends, coworkers, and other fairly familiar people. Basically, all of my past references have offered to be one for me. I either didn't have to ask, or we had a relationship in which I knew I could ask them. Now that I'm learning to take initiative, I need more than my past references. I am in very good standing with some of the nurse managers, directors, and physicians on my job, and I know that they could add real value to a resume and job consideration. My question is if/how do you ask if they'd be willing to be a reference? I'm sorry, I honestly don't know this kind of business etiquette. I don't even know if it's considered overbearing to ask. Thanks!
  15. PeachPie
    To all the grown-up (I use that term loosely) Mama's boys and Daddy's little girls: Thank you so much for making me the meanest mom in the world. People like you horrify me into disciplining kids in hopes of them turning out nothing like you. Seriously, you are over 30 years old (some are in their 50s), yet Mommy and Daddy are still babying and enabling your irresponsible, self-destructive behavior. Your poor fragile self-esteem and dislike of "yucky" tasting medicines are not of higher priority than your increasingly serious medical condition that you have chosen to neglect because it's no fun. If your parents really cared, they wouldn't be sneaking in extra insulin, junk food, alcohol, and helping you in your scheme to manipulate the staff into giving you more Dilaudid. People like you honestly make me grateful that my mean parents made me study, persevere, take responsibility for my actions, get a job, move out, and become a responsible adult.
  16. PeachPie

    How to get my foot in the door as a new grad??????

    PeachPie replied to kari2009's topic in Nursing

    1) Be willing to drive out. Here in Houston, there are >6 nursing schools in the main metropolitan area, and competition is fierce. I had to drive out to the suburbs to find a job. Commutes sucked, and it was boring when I moved there, but I after I gained experience I was able to transfer to another branch in the city. 2) Go for smaller, less advertised hospitals such as long term acute care (LTAC) facilities and rehabs. The big hospitals with advertising budgets get all the traffic.